Blog

Media Spotlight – Menu Innovator® – Mediterranean Flavor Infusion

Top Cuisines:MediterraneanNew AmericanItalianAsian

Top Topics:Seasonal EatingFresh ProduceDessertsClassic Cocktails

Mediterranean Flavor Infusion

For decades, diners planned their fine dining experiences as you would any special event – choose a time and date, dress formally, and treat the outing as a rare occasion saved for celebrations. Fast forward to 2016! The dining scene has taken on an approachable feel in the past years. Microbrews are now served alongside the finest ingredients. Fine dining has become more accessible, as we expect only the finest on a regular basis. Enter Sarma, Anna Sortun’s Mediterranean masterpiece. Old wooden doors, middle eastern fabrics, and old brick meets quality ingredients, a chef’s attention to detail, and a staff tending to your table’s every need.

As we crave this authentic dining experience, Mediterranean restaurants give us that and so more more! At Sarma, the beef jerky with Turkish spices and a drizzle of date molasses is the ideal balance sweet and spicy. And the cauliflower fatteh, a chickpea and vegetable stew with garlic and pine nuts, offers a traditional flavor. All of the foods are artfully prepared, and yet maintain a comfort food quality – perfect for both the microbrew lover and foodie in all of us. With the great array of spices and vegetables that we see on many modern Mediterranean menus, something has gone missing – excessive fat and salt. This is all a part of the continued shift towards “authentic food”, locally sourced and packed with flavors that regions all over the world have been using for centuries.

Another Mediterranean quality that Sarma excelled at was the ability to layer flavors and textures in endless varieties. Throughout the evening, the chef comes up with countless specials at will, which are then presented to the table as exciting additions to the small-plate style meal being enjoyed by patrons. One of these offerings with the griddled haloumi, served atop a poached green tomato and peach relish. The cheese compliments the sweet relish with its perfectly mild and savory flavor. A dish that excelled even more was the apple tabouleh. Muhummara, a spicy pepper sauce, was the base for this tabouleh, which was then topped with a mixture of apples, herbs, and green olives and finished with pomegranate and walnuts. The flavor profile was the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, and the textures were only enhanced by the way they were layered. All of the dishes created an opportunity for ingredients to compliment each other instead of compete for attention.

Mediterranean fare shines in many unique ways. Now, other cuisines cannot help but take notice. Diners want authentic flavor, that comes from real food, so we create a menu where extra fat and salt will do us no favors. No one wants their dinner to weigh them down. Whether Greek, Lebanese, Turkish, or anything in between – Mediterranean delivers.Stay tuned, next week we will delve even further into the art of small plates!